


Wizards and Warriors

by DragonsHaven



Category: Brave Frontier
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Slow Burn, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-03-25 19:39:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3822388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonsHaven/pseuds/DragonsHaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wake up, freshen up, eat breakfast, head down into the Summoner’s Hall to announce her presence to those who cared, leave the Hall, go to the Arena, battle, win, and avoid those who wanted to speak with her. Never in her daily schedule did it say, “Spend valuable time with Karl and his friends playing Wizards and Warriors."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Why me?!

Seria never wanted to play this stupid game- Karl and his friends had pressured her into it. She'd rather be doing anything else; training, participating in an Arena Battle, taking a long shower, or even standing out in the pouring rain. Anything but playing Karl’s stupid game. What was it called again? Wizards and Peasants? Warlocks and Dungeons? Seria didn’t know, and she didn’t care. The only thing that was stopping her from walking out the door and into the heavy downfall of water was the look Karl gave her everytime she stuck around for another turn. That, and the boys had handcuffed her left wrist to the sofa leg and tied up her shoelaces. With her free hand, she pushed up brown locks that fell into her face and repressed yet another sigh of discontent. 

“Seria, it’s your turn. If you roll a 2 or a 7, you can add a point to your Attack stat. But, if you roll a 3, 5 or 9, you have to subtract 2 from your Defence stat. If you roll any other numbers, nothing happens,” Karl passed the pair of dice to Seria’s open hand. 

With mock excitement, the brunette threw the dice down onto the game board and watched in boredom as they stopped on the numbers 2 and 5. 

“Nice one, babe! Karl, add 1 to her Attack stat and move her piece seven spaces forward!” A boy with red hair and green eyes shouted. 

What was his name again? Koy? Kilt? Kane? Seria knew little to nothing about the unfamiliar people surrounding her, as she opted to keep to herself after Arena Battles. Karl, of course, would have none of it, often making her socialize with friends and admirers of his. All she knew about the loud, red haired boy was that he was a sleazy, good for nothing slacker whose hands had the tendency to wander where they shouldn’t. 

Shooting the boy a sharp glare, Seria turned around and threw Karl a glance of annoyance, only for it to be vanquished with his look of sheepish glee. 

“Alright, Koit, that’s enough. I've already said that Seria is here of her own will, and the least you can do is keep your hands to yourself,” Karl stepped in when Seria’s glare at the other boy turned into a promise of death.

“Don't call me “babe”, either. Use what little of common sense and wit you have to respect that!” Seria huffed and blew her hair out of her face.

“Tch, such harsh words from such a beautiful maiden,” Koit said, waving his hands around dramatically.

“Maiden?!” Seria thought, her face flushed with anger.

Karl coughed to break the awkward tension. “Alright, Koit. Pass the dice, it’s my turn to roll. Lugina, I’m betting 5 of my Recovery stat that I’ll roll a 2, 4 or 8. Do you accept?” 

“You’re a fool, Karl. The odds aren’t in your favor, so of course I’ll accept! It amuses me when you fail.” Lugina sneers.

Karl cupped the dice in his hands, shook them in the air, and let the dice fly onto the board. Everyone, except for Seria, held their breath as the dice skidded to stop, showing the numbers 3 and 6 on the faces. 

Lugina laughed at Karl’s surprised expression. “I told you so, pretty boy! Never make a bet that you know you can’t win. Koit, give me that notepad! It’s time to make some changes.” 

While Lugina scrubbed away at the notebook with an eraser, Seria took a wistful glance at the clock. She had arrived at 5 pm due to Karl’s non stop begging, and they had started playing at around 6:45. The slow but constant ticking of the clock’s hands reminded her that time hadn’t stopped and that she still had many more hours of suffering. It was only 8:30. 

She used her free hand to useless pick at the chain of her handcuffs, but stopped once she noticed Koit’s perverted expression. Growling at him, she threw her head back onto the seat of the sofa and willed for time to move faster. 

“Koit, take your pathetic eyes off of Seria and roll the damn dice. I’m not gonna sit here and watch you mentally strip her. We don’t have all day, you know.” Lugina lazily remarked, tossing the notepad back into Karl’s lap. 

“Whatever, Lugina. I can tell she secretly loves it.” Koit smirked and threw the dice onto the board. 

Karl barely stopped Seria from ripping out Koit’s throat. He sighed in defeat. “Who’s idea was it to handcuff her to the sofa? Besides, Koit, I’m not restraining her the next time you make an unwanted remark. If she manages to break the cuffs and tear you a new one, I’ll stand back and watch.” 

“Glad to know where your allegiance lies, man.” Koit moved his piece three steps forward and tossed the dice to Karl, who gave them to Seria.

She threw the dice down and rolled her eyes as the boys scrambled to record the turn. 

“Alright, Seria, you currently stand at a diversion in your path. To your left is a forest and you can dimly see a light on the other side. To your right is an entrance to a dark maze, where treasures and untold riches await you if you manage to reach the end. But be warned, you’re not alone. So, if you roll a 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10, you traverse into the forest. If you roll a 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11, you continue on into the maze. If you somehow happen to roll a 12, nothing happens and we skip your turn for 3 turns.” Karl read the instructions from the manual.

Silently hoping the universe will be kind to her just this once, the brunette shot the dice onto the playing board. With a disappointed sigh, she watched the dice form a 6 and a 5, just a mere number away from silence for 3 turns.

“Ok, Seria, you’ve traveled into the maze. Please roll again to decide your fate,” 

She did so without complaint, wanting to get things over with. With Lugina scribbling away at the notepad, Karl saying things that had absolutely no meaning to her, and Koit making stupid passes at her whenever he could, Seria started to wonder if this was really the highlight of her life. Despite the countless Arena matches she’s participated in throughout the years, the occasional quest into the Agni region, and the Trials that the Summoner’s Research Lab wanted her to try, she couldn’t disagree that her life had gotten a little boring. 

Wake up, freshen up, eat breakfast, head down into the Summoner’s Hall to announce her presence to those who cared, leave the Hall, go to the Arena, battle, win, and avoid those who wanted to speak with her. Never in her daily schedule did it say, “Spend valuable time with Karl and his friends playing Wizards and Warriors.” 

The storm outside only grew stronger, as if beckoning the universe to stop this game and let nature continue peacefully. Lugina was currently punching Koit and accusing him of cheating, and Karl, as always, was trying to play peacemaker and prevent any future fights. The room was in a state of disaster. The game pieces were scattered everywhere, and the board was…somewhere. Seria raised an eyebrow as Lugina elbowed Karl in the ribs, causing him to stumble back into Koit, who fell face first into a pile of game pieces. 

“Come play Wizards and Warriors with us,” Karl had said. “It’ll be fun!” He said. Seria sighed, this was really getting out of hand. At this rate, the Head Summoner would charge Lugina for assault, possibly throw him in prison, and then the Demon Hunters would lose their leader, even as pathetic as he was. 

Lightning struck the nearby lamp post, causing it to explode in a display of red hot sparks and burning metal. The boys paid it no mind, instead focusing more on their petty feud that started because Koit had moved his piece one too many spaces. 

Seria swore that she saw a stray bolt of lightning illuminate the far corner of the living room and disappear into the carpet. If she weren’t handcuffed to the sofa leg, she might’ve jumped up onto the sofa and glared disapprovingly at the three young adults that were acting like 5 year olds, but for now, she would have to settle with glaring from ground level. 

As if on cue, all the lights in the complex went out, causing a small shriek of fright from Koit.

“You’re afraid of the dark?” Lugina asked, making himself comfortable on the recliner away from Karl.

“No! Of course not! It just startled me, that’s all.” Koit breathed out a shaky sigh.

“And you call yourself a summoner!” Lugina laughed. 

“Not just any summoner! I’m a level 35, class Contender summoner! You should have more respect, Lugina!” Koit boasted.

Lugina and Karl looked at each other, an unimpressed expression coloring both faces. “You’ve got to be kidding me..” Lugina trailed off.

“Come on, let’s put everything up before anyone else gets hurt,” Karl motioned to the stray pieces littering the ground. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m not getting the ones stuck to his face, though. You can do that.”

“Feh, and here I thought we were actually getting somewhere with our friendship,” Karl mocked.

“Please, the only “friendship” we’ll ever have is making fun of Koit.” 

“Hey! I heard that!” Koit whipped his head up from the corner he was hiding in.

“You were meant to,” Lugina responded, folding the board into fourths and setting it on top of the kitchen counter. 

Loud thunder caused the entire house to shake and flower pots to fall from their stands. Koit, who was currently in “duck and cover” position, whimpered when the broken glass fell close to his foot. 

“Tell me again, Koit. Who the hell is in your squad?” Lugina heaved him up from his position.

“Um.. Selena, Lancia, Aisha, Cyborg Lilith, and Uda,” Koit looked at Lugina, confusion written on his face. “Why do you ask?”

Lugina stared him directly in the eye. “How the fuck do Selena and Uda put up with all your shit?!” He dropped the whimpering boy back onto the ground and stomped away.

“Karl, I’m taking the guest bedroom. Leave me alone for the rest of the night and part of tomorrow morning. If he’s,” Lugina gestured to Koit, “not gone by the time I wake up, I’ll send his squad a resignation form.” 

Karl widened his eyes, and Seria sat up straighter, listening intently. “You can’t do that, Lugina! Only the Head Summoners can remove units from a summoner’s squad!” Karl protested.

“He’s right, Lugina. Get it through your thick, mossy headed skull that the world doesn’t revolve around your commands.” Seria responded boredly, nodding her thanks to Karl, who had the decency to remove her handcuffs. 

Standing up and popping joints when she stretched, Seria gave a 180 degrees sweep of the room. Every inch of the room was covered in darkness, and the only noise was coming from the ravaging storm outside, Koit’s pitiful whimpering and Lugina steaming in his corner. 

“I’ll take the couch. Seria, there’s a blow up mattress in the left corridor. I’m afraid that you and Koit will have to share a bed, do you mind?” Karl said, pointing to the west.

“Yes, Karl. Yes, I do mind. Have you forgotten what had just happened in the last 20 minutes?! I’m not about to share a bed with the same pervert of a summoner that had tried to make passes at me! I’m taking the floor. He can have the damn bed.”

Seria marched over to the far side of the room, where the lightning struck 10 minutes ago. Not caring that she had no blanket or pillow to rest her head on, Seria fell into a tense sleep that only lasted for a few brief moments before she was woken up.

Light streamed through every open crevasse that the foundation had to offer. Sitting up and rubbing her aching head, the brunette tried to look around at her surroundings as much as she could with her vision weakening every few seconds. She blamed it on Lugina’s idiocy and herself for sleeping without a pillow. 

Standing up on wobbly feet, Seria was greeted with a ceiling that was too close to her head for comfort and a light at the end of the white tunnel. Slowly walking towards it, the light soon gave way to lush green trees and tall, rocky mountains. A small town dotted the horizon, bustling ships sailing in and out of their docks, and large groups of people that resembled colonies of ants bustled in and out of various buildings.

The midday sun beat down on Seria’s shoulders, threatening to burn the fair skin and cause it to peel in an unattractive way. The clothing she had on did nothing to protect her from the sun’s harmful rays. She wore a navy blue tunic with white sleeves, black pants, a simple leather belt, sheepskin boots and a short bastard sword attached to her belt.

The fact that most of the clothing was composed of dark colors and more suited for colder climates, Seria began her short trek into the town below, only to nearly trip and fall over a tattered brown bag that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She did a double take. The bag wasn’t there when she had arrive a few minutes ago, was it? Maybe that joke that Lugina sneered at her about old age was finally taking its toll. Rolling her eyes at the possibility of that happening, Seria bent down, retrieved the bag and swung it around her shoulders, opting to not waste more time by exploring its contents. That could wait until she got to the town and found some shade.


	2. My damn feet hurt!

The brunette had been walking for what seemed like hours, and her thin boots were starting to give way, causing her feet to become scratched and bloodied. From her previous point atop the mountain, the town only seemed a few minutes away, an hour at most. Then again, Seria never did have the best guestimating abilities, and her sense of direction was _awful_. 

Hadn’t she just walked past that tree 5 minutes ago? She couldn’t see or hear the village anymore, so, it all came down to the only reasonable option left. She was lost. _“Great. That’s just great! I was dragged by Karl to play a stupid game, which resulted in a perverted summoner making passes at me, Lugina nearly getting charged with assault, and finally, I end up here. Absolutely perfect,”_ Seria thought to herself, scowling.

Stopping at a nearby tree, she pried off her boots and shook them, groaning when a few pebbles and pieces of grass fell to the ground. The scenery hadn’t changed in the time she spent walking, it was the same canopy of leaves and trees that towered above her. The moss covered trees and rocks reminded her of the small, green blob that the Summoners and children affectionately named “Mossy”. There was a whole line of books and movies about it, too. Mossy, along with his friends Burny, Glowy, Squirty, Sparky and Gloomy would go on adventures all around Grand Gaia, defeating foes, making friends, and even defeating one of the elder gods, Maxwell. 

Seria shook her head, put her boots back on, and continued walking. They were just stories, after all. Burny and company were inadequate units, and their adventures were pure rubbish. The blobs were useful for beginner summoners, serving as temporary allies and foes, before being resigned and replaced with better units. It was the same process that Seria had seen too many times. 

A Summoner would receive their first “summon” from the Summoning Gate, a choice made by the universe that would make or break their adventuring process. Then, that Unit would have to go along with the Summoner, accompanied by one of the 4 available Heroes and a few elemental blobs. Unsurprisingly, Selena was a popular pick among the male summoners, did they actually _think_ they could get into her pants?

Laughing at the thought, Seria nearly bumped into a tree branch that hung too low for comfort, ducking at the final moment. Resuming her thoughts, the brunette recalled a _very_ angry Lucina attempting to hunt down and gut open a male Summoner, Selena and Belfura in tow. Apparently, he had tried to seduce Selena into sleeping with him for additional stats, and an increase in her Brave Burst power. That, as hilarious as it was, ended with Belfura just _barely_ restraining Lucina from ripping the boy apart. He, of course, was charged with sexual assault and was imprisoned for 15 years. His squad was sent a resignation form, and the Summoner was left with a hefty fine of 500,000 Zel, 15 years of imprisonment, and a promise of death from Lucina if she ever saw his face again. 

Ironically, this isn’t the only time this incident has happened. Seria could recall other instances when Summoners would walk into the Summoner’s Hall, bloody and bruised, complaining to their friends that their seduction attempts had failed. Moments after, the Hall would experience an aggravated Unit burst through the double doors, attempting to gut open a Summoner. 

More often than not, there were multiple appearances from Lucina, often for Selena’s sake when she couldn’t make it, Belfura, who nearly crushed the Hall with her dragon when she caught wind of a Summoner trying to sleep with Rina, and of course, Farlon, who threatened to “cut open the fool who looked at Ramna with lust in his damn eyes!” Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Farlon was dragged out by his girlfriend, who smiled at him and promised that everything was alright.

Seria’s recent ponderings of past events took her mind off of her aching feet, and made the walk much faster. She saw the large, colorful tents that littered the streets, people carrying baskets on their heads, clad in multicolored garb, and children running around the street with their small toys. It reminded her of Savat and how she was forced to settle in the city while the Agni region was being attacked. It was amusing to no end to see Arius making wolf whistles outside of Selena’s window, painting rather _explicit_ paintings of them both, only for the Savat officials, lead by Selena’s orders and Lucina’s glare, to arrest him.

A man strolled up to her, offering to teach her the ways of a foreign religion, and how some deity could offer her salvation. Politely turning him down, Seria walked to the nearest tavern and pushed open the wooden double doors. The reek of alcohol mixed with the overwhelming scent of cigarette smoke was unbearable. Calling over the bartender, the brunette ordered a simple whiskey and set a few gold coins on the table. When the coins had been collected and her drink delivered, Seria hefted the brown bag onto the tabletop and began to shift through its contents, ignoring the judging stares from her fellow drinkers.

The tavern didn’t have the best lighting, sunlight being the only source of fluorescence in the dim bar. From what she could see, the bag held a small pouch of coins, a dull, black rock and an envelope addressed to her. Carefully opening the white envelope, Seria what presented with a eggshell colored piece of paper that offered a simple seven words.

“Beat me and I’ll send you home.”

She turned the paper over, scanning the back for any other words of instruction. Whoever the sender was, they weren’t very specific with their commands. Beat who, exactly? The letter didn’t supply a picture, only those seven words that mocked her with their simplicity. Seria sipped at her whiskey, the alcoholic beverage burning her throat and settling hard in her empty stomach. The brunette waved over the bartender and showed him the letter, envelope and all. The bartender scratched his head and directed her to the library, telling her that she might find better assistance there.

Thanking him, Seria stuffed the envelope back into the tattered bag, downing the rest of her whiskey and leaving the tavern. The unexpected brightness of the outside hit her like a truck, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to take shelter in a dark tavern when it was midday. Wandering around the town, the swordswoman asked various people where the library could be found, only to be ignored or taunted by some of the locals. A kind woman told her to head east and stop at the rock that divides the path. Seria felt her annoyance level rise, did everyone in this town speak in riddles? How come no one could just tell her to, “Take a left once you reach a purple house, and then keep heading north until you literally _bump_ into the library sign.” Was that too much to ask?

According to these people, it probably was. Having nothing to lose, Seria did as the woman instructed and headed east, away from the town and it’s confusing people. She contemplated absorbing herself in her thoughts again, but decided against it, fearing that she might miss the “rock that divides the path”, or whatever the woman had said. The path that she ambled on was relatively clear, save for the occasional stray pebble or broken tree branch.

The pain in her feet had been numbed by the whiskey, but that didn’t stop her cheap boots from becoming more and more torn. As she walked, the sword that was attached to her belt thumped against her right thigh with every step she took. Seria wanted to grab the blade from its position on the belt, sheath and all, and shove it into the brown bag. It was a tempting offer, to get rid of the constant bumping of leather against her upper leg, but the bag would tear even more because of the blade’s sharp edge, even with a sheath. At this point in her journey, Seria was starting to question all of her life choices. 

Why hadn’t she decline Karl’s offer to join him, Lugina, and some random Summoner in a game of Wizards and Warriors? If she had just said “no”, she wouldn’t have gotten handcuffed to a chair, that stupid Summoner wouldn’t have tried to hit on her, and then she wouldn’t be in the middle of nowhere! Seria sighed, how much longer was it until the mystical library appeared out of no where? The lady hadn't given her an amount of time that she had to walk for, only to keep walking until she reached the "rock that divides the path", whatever the hell that meant. Was some rock just going to _jut_ straight out of the ground and dig into her side? Or, maybe, it was a pile of rocks that would block off an intersection in the road. With all that's been happening in the past few hours, anything was possible. 

Glaring up at the yellow ball of heat that mocked her from its position in the sky, the brunette stopped just outside of a clearing that seemed to lead into yet _another_ forest. Did the universe really hate her that much? Seria wasn't a bad person! Sure, she had made some crude jokes at the expense of herself and others, but she didn't commit a sexual offense towards one of her comrades! Honestly, the universe could be a stickler for karma sometimes, and it always seemed to bite you when you least expect it. Wasn't being handcuffed to a chair for more than 2 hours more than enough compensation for making an innocent jab at a Summoner? She wasn't even _offended!_ That Summoner had laughed along with her before one of the supervisors called her away for her scheduled Arena Battle. The Summoner had playfully hit Seria on the shoulder as "payback", but despite that, she didn't show any signs of offense!

 _"Maybe she was faking it,"_ The brunette thought. _"Maybe, she's just really good at hiding her true emotions, which landed you in this stupid forest!"_ She swung her backpack from shoulder to shoulder. Her legs ached from exertion in above average temperatures, as well as the lack of support from her worn and torn boots. The sun had moved about 15 degrees to the right, which meant that it was approximately- wait. Seria blinked and looked up at the sun again. From her memory, the sun looked to be in the middle of the sky when she first glared at it. Now, it was 15 degrees to the right. _"Oh, for the love of Maxwell, please don't tell me that the sun rises in the west and sets in the east?!"_ The swordswoman growled in frustration and was about to throw her backpack to the ground when she noticed a large crack in the ground. 

The woman had told her to head east and stop at the rock that divided the path. Well, from what her common knowledge, a _crack_ most certainly isn't a _rock_ , and the crack didn't divide the path at all. It kinda just was the path itself. Wasn't there an old saying that went, "Step on a crack, break your mother's back?" Seria deadpanned. Her mother had given her to the Elder Summoners when she was a toddler, and never made a point to visit. Gathering whatever was left of her care for this world, the brunette hovered her foot above the crack, before stepping down very carefully, putting all of her weight on one foot. 

Nothing happened. Absolutely _nothing_ happened. Seria stood up straight, collected herself, and continued walking on the now cracked pathway. Well, it wasn't if she actually expected something to happen, right? Right. It was just an old superstition that was bound to never come true. Why a crack, anyways? Did whoever make up that riddle only choose a crack because it rhymed with back? There were plenty other things that a mother could fracture her spine on, such as; tripping and falling off a flight of stairs, being pushed down a large flight of stairs, having a large amount of weight dropped on her backside, or even something as simple as a slip and slide gone wrong. Isn't a crack in the ground a bit too generic? 

Clearing her head from the negative thoughts that constantly filled it, the brunette lazily unsheathed her sword from its scabbard and swung it around in large, slow circle. The midday sun reflected off of the blade, creating small circles of illumination on the trees and nearby rocks. Finally taking a good look at the blade which had weighed her down from the start of her journey, Seria noticed that it was nothing more than a simple bastard sword. The hilt of the weapon wasn't engraved with any initials, or adorned with any jewels, so it must have been straight out of whichever blacksmith shop it was purchased from. 

The simple blade reminded her of a small child who always fought with his mother. The brunette would watch him stray from his mother's side and enter the blacksmith shop, where the tall and beefy smith would welcome him with open arms, and give him a rib crushing bear hug. The child would try and retaliate the hug with all of his might, but was simply too weak to match the bear of a man's strength. The mother would then burst into the blacksmith's shop, crying out for her missing son, only to feel relieved when she saw her son atop the blacksmith's shoulders, looking as happy as the day he was born.

Seria regarded that fond memory, thankful for the change that it brought from the dark and depressing memories. Maxwell knows she has _more_ than enough of those. She could still taste the remains of the whiskey she last drank a few hours ago. What was in that drink that made it so hard to swallow and sat in her stomach like a rock? Whatever that ingredient was, the brunette was thankful for the temporary feeling of content that it gave, she's been walking for hours, sweating under the heat of the sun, and hadn't felt a single pang of hunger. It was an oddity, the same level of "weirdness" she would give to Shira's ability to give his allies, and himself, all of the elements to use against his foes, or the fact that Belfura and Rina continue to remain friends when it's so _incredibly_ obvious that one of them likes- 

For the second time that same day, Seria found herself nearly crashing into another human being.


	3. Bright Eyes

Getting too caught up in her thoughts was something Seria both prided herself on and hated herself for. It helped her zone out of long and boring conversations, but also left her in a confused state when the other party wanted to get her attention. Usually, she would just nod and agree with whatever the person was saying, or offer a brisk chuckle if she felt it was something to be laughed at. 

Right now, however, her abyss of thoughts caused her to ram into a young girl with pastel green hair as bright as a newly bloomed Daylily. The brunette didn’t have time to become absorbed in her stupor before she was pulled out of her daydreaming state by a low grunt coming opposite from her.

Standing up, Seria made her way to the girl who had fallen and was currently still on the ground, brushing off her multicolored dress. Clearing her throat and offering a hand to the green haired woman, the swordswoman deadpanned as her hand was taken, and very little weight was strained on her upper arm. _“Strange,"_ Seria thought, _“She doesn’t seem to weigh very much, it’s almost like she’s levitating.”_

“Are you alright?” The brunette asked, eyeing the girl infront of her.

“Hmph! Do I look alright to you, what’s with you, running into a Goddess like that?!” The girl exclaimed, cheeks flushing red with noticeable anger.

“I’m only asking a question, no need to blow up in my face! And what’s with that talk of you being a Goddess? You don’t look very “God-like” to me.”

Another “hmph”. “Maybe you’re just an awful judge of character. It’s very rude to judge someone by their appearance, just like it’s very rude to _stare.”_

Seria blinked. “I was staring?” She asked.

“Yes, and quite rudely, it’s almost as if you’ve never seen a Goddess before!” The “Goddess” exclaimed.

“If it pleases you, I have seen a Goddess before. She’s very annoying, and looks exactly like you. Her name’s Tilith and she follows Summoners around like a lost puppy. It’s quite irritating, actually,” Seria rolled her eyes at the mention of the green haired Goddess back in Grand Gaia. It seemed that wherever the brunette went, the Goddess was either a step forward or behind her. Even in the _Arena_ , she could swear Tilith shows up with random Summoners at least twice a day. 

“Oh, really?” The Goddess looked a bit shocked by that. “She doesn’t seem too bad, maybe you just haven’t given her a chance?” 

Seria scoffed. “As if. The Elder Summoners deployed my friend Karl and I to help out a Summoner who was stuck in the Morgan region. Apparently, the mighty Goddess Tilith caught a disease that slowly weakened her immune system and powers. Our “help” was only useful for clearing out hordes of small monsters while the Summoner got a big boost to his ego by killing Abaddon and saving Tilith.”

“Well, you did receive credit from the so called “Elder Summoners”, didn’t you? Besides, it’s always nice to help out others, even when you don’t get anything in return,” The Goddess smiled.

“Feh. I don’t mean to cut our conversation short, but do you know where the library is? I’ve been walking for what seems like hours, and that riddle the woman told me is about as helpful as Burny. So, if you please, can you tell me how to get there?” 

The other girl looked thoughtful, regarding Seria with a look of doubt. “You’re a long way off from any “library”. Why do you need to go there? I’m sure there are better places to find some books.” 

“It’s not books I’m looking for, Bright Eyes.” The brunette rolled her eyes.

“Bright Eyes?!” The Goddess looked appalled. “What kind of a name is that?!” The green haired girl pouted, her eyes taking on a look of a kicked puppy.

“It’s yours now,” Seria smirked at the dismayed look on the other girl’s face. “Do you know how to get to the library or don’t you?” 

“I do, I do! Why’re you in such a rush, I’m sure the library will be willing to wait for you.” The smile was back in place on a porcelain face.

 _“Jeez, is she bipolar or something? Nobody switches moods that fast,”_ The brunette pondered. 

“It’s not the library I’m concerned about, I couldn’t care less about that dusty old place. Instead,” Seria swung her backpack to her front and unbuckled the clip that held the back in place, and retrieved the white envelope. “It’s this. Who knew a stupid letter could cause me so much annoyance and exhaustion,” 

The Goddess slowly took the letter with trembling hands and slid a thumb into the opening slit of the envelope. Gingerly, she folded back the lip and slid out the eggshell colored letter. Seria watched the other girl’s face turn from surprise to shock, and back into surprise, only this time it was mixed in with another emotion. Who knew 7 words could cause someone to feel so much?

“W-Well,” The Goddess said, her voice shaking. “It doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Maybe this person just wants to play a game of Knights and Ladders?”

The brunette deadpanned and slowly raised her palm up to meet her forehead. “No,” She sighed. “I don’t think that’s what they want at all. Whoever this person is, their intentions are obviously malevolent, and they sucked me into this universe to.. To do _what,_ exactly?! Beat them? Are they in need of death so badly that they would call upon a stranger to administer it for them?! I’m sure there are plenty of high cliffs that they can take leaping steps off of!” 

“Whatever. Thanks for your help.” Seria took back the letter from the girl in front of her. “If what you say is true, and if the library is just a riddle full of rubbish, I’ll held back to the town, find a local in, and sleep for the rest of the day.” She set the backpack down on the ground and stuck the letter back into it’s contents. While the sack was being harnessed on the swordswoman’s back, the greenette took the time to carefully size up the brunette, who was having trouble buckling one strap of leather to another.

What stood before the Goddess’s eyes was a young woman, who couldn’t be more than 24 years of age, with brown hair tied up messily in a bun, adorned in simple clothing. Not very impressive for someone who received the challenge of a lifetime, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers. 

“I never did get your name, Goddess.” The brunette looked up from her battle with the tangled leather straps.

 _“Oh, so now you believe me about the title, huh?"_ The greenette smirked. 

“My name? Well, you never did ask for it.” 

A groan was heard as Seria threw the straps down in disgust before running a hand through loose strands of hair. “Your name, Bright Eyes, what’s your name?” 

“Are we really resorting to name calling, Ruffian?” 

“Answer the damn question, we’ve been at this for 2 minutes!” 

“There’s no need to yell! My name is..” The Goddess trailed off, looking sheepish under Seria’s scrunitating gaze.

“Don’t tell me you forgot your own name?” The brunette said.

“Oh, of course not! You just didn’t let me finish. Now, like I was saying before being ever so _rudely_ interrupted,” A glare was sent to the older woman, who rolled her eyes upon receiving the look. “Is.. Diana. My name is Diana.”

“Well, Diana, was that so hard? I suppose you want to know my name?” 

“That would be helpful. I wouldn’t want to resort to calling you “Ruffian” every time you spoke.” Diana smiled.

“Seria.” The brunette offered.

“What’s such a pretty name doing with someone with such a bad attitude?” Diana asked, giggling.

“Shut up, Bright Eyes! I don’t have an attitude problem, if anything, you have a problem with my attitude and that’s not my problem,” Seria finished, triumphantly. Her grin stretched smugly across her face when she noticed the greenette’s confused expression. 

“Glad to see we could cover at least the very basics of mannery,” The Goddess said.

“Hm. It’s not like you’ll ever end up meeting me again, so my name’s basically useless to you.” Seria hauled her bag back into her shoulders. “I’m going to find an inn. Nice knowing you, Diana.”

“I’ll help you look, there should be one nearby. I heard some travelers talking about an oasis a few miles south!” Diana floated next to Seria’s backpack, occasionally dipping up and down the sky.

“Hold on for a moment, I never said you’d be coming with me! If anything, you’d just be a distraction and cause me to lose my way with that mindless chatter of yours.” Seria frowned, crossing her arms.

“That’s what you think,” Diana replied in a singsong voice. “Check the envelope.”

“No way! I’m not getting that blasted thing back out, did you see those leather straps nearly suffocate me a few minutes earlier?!”

“You’re overreacting, they didn’t suffocate you. But, since you won’t get that letter out, you don’t have a legitimate reason for me not to accompany you.” 

“I do have a reason, you’ll end up being a major distraction and getting me lost. That voice of yours is enough to kill a squirrel.” Seria trudged along the path, ignoring the Goddess’s pouting.

“Well, you never said that I was a bad distraction, besides, don’t you think that walking on this long road will be a bit lonely?” Diana playfully rested her crossed arms on Seria head, only removing them when her armrest suddenly jerked to a stop, sighed, and muttered something inaudible. 

“I’m sorry could you repeat that?” The greenette asked.

“I said youcancomealongifyouwant..”

“Once more please, I’m quite ancient for a Goddess, you know.”

“I SAID YOU CAN COME ALONG IF YOU WANT!” Seria growled in exasperation when she saw Diana’s face erupt in glee.

“See, that wasn’t so hard, now was it, Seria? I’m sure we’ll get along amazingly, I can show you the details of each town you visit, and soon, you might finally be able to face off against whoever sent you that letter!” 

Seria mentally rolled her eyes at the display of childlike happiness. _"Maybe,"_ She thought. _“It won’t be so bad having a Goddess around, like Diana said, company will be provided, and maybe bad things will stop happening, for once.”_

While the Goddess chattered on, the brunette began to notice how every pebble in the road was the same exact color, and how the trees were all lush and green. There weren’t any fallen branches, stray leaves, or broken tree trunks in sight. This was a welcomed change from the moldy logs and brown, fallen leaves she was used to seeing as she trekked along the path.

Diana’s chatter was a mindless drone in the background, but prevented Seria from getting absorbed into her thoughts and running into an obstacle in the road. Everything was going decently until the brunette felt a pair of hands tug her entire body forward a few inches. 

“Come on, slowpoke! There’s an inn right up ahead, don’t tell me the heat made you all hazy!” The Goddess unrelentingly pulled on Seria’s arm until she sighed, giving into the other girl’s please and quickened to a light jog.

“If this is what traveling with you will be like, I immediately revoke my decision,” Seria grumbled, keeping pace with the floating Goddess.

“Well, you’re no ray of sunshine yourself, you know. In fact, you’re more like a dark cloud, always grey and broody. I guess with all your negative energy, I’ll just have to shine bright enough for the both of us! Now, come on, you’re falling behind.” 

What Diana said wasn’t exactly a lie. The brunette definitely wasn’t the happiest person in the world, and she did sulk a lot, but that didn’t mean she could be on a level akin to a _rain cloud!_ So she doesn't enjoy the company of people, preferring to be alone with her training, and she might judge a book by its cover, but Seria didn’t consider herself to be broody. After all, the Elder Summoners had Magress and Feeva to fill that empty void. 

The greenette wasn’t bluffing about there being an inn “right up ahead”. The brunette shook her head and brushed back a few stray hair that escaped from their bun, disbelief clouding her expression. Taking a look at their surroundings, Diana had tugged her into a small village where 4 or so people seemed to approaching them with smiles on their faces. Normally, you don’t greet a stranger with a smile, especially if the stranger has a weird _levitating_ girl next to her. No, you would grab your pitchforks, torches, maybe an ax, and start a witch hunt. Then again, Seria wasn’t the perfect definition of normal.

“Hi!” Began Diana, way too cheerily. “My friend and I were hoping to stay in an inn for a day or so, and the building behind us seems to fit the picture. If I’m wrong, can you direct us to the nearest inn?”

“You’re not wrong, hun,” An old man spoke up. “That’s an inn alright. If you go and and ring the bell, someone will come out and service you, just be sure to have your money ready.”

“Great, thank you for your help, Old Man!” The Goddess grinned as the old man shuffled back into a building and children approached Seria, tugging at pieces of loose clothing. One nearly managed to remove her sword from its sheath, but an elderly woman ran up and lifted the child away from danger. 

“I’m assuming you have the money to pay the fee?” Seria asked once the children were done groping her tunic and pants.

“About that..” Diana laughed, sheepish. “Let’s go in, and you can check that duffle bag of yours. I’m sure you have a pouch of gold in there somewhere.”

“And if I don’t?” The brunette challenged.

“Well, let’s not think about the negatives, that only makes them more likely to come true. Think positive, Seria!” 

“You and your rays of sunshine.” Seria pushed open the door to the inn, gestured for Diana to hurry up and get in, walked in herself, and closed the door behind her.

Fumbling through the bag, the brunette produced a small pouch which was weighed down by gold and placed it in Diana’s open hand. The Goddess _walked_ to the “front desk”, rang the bell twice, stood back, and began to tap her foot impatiently. Meanwhile, Seria was having trouble with the leather straps and was considering cutting them off with her sword. Thankfully, Diana’s disapproving glare caused her to mutter something imperceptible and grudgingly shoved her bastard sword back into its sheath. A young man emerged from the back of the service desk and looked expectantly at the Goddess. 

“I’d like a room for one night, preferably with a working shower,” The Goddess said, ignoring the young man eye’s traveling up and down her body.

“What’s a cute girl like you doing out in these parts? Don’t you have a man around to protect you in case anything gets rough?” The young man at the front desk sneered.

“Does it matter? I’d like to request a room with an operable shower, if you please.” Diana huffed, slightly annoyed. Gods, can a girl go anywhere without being oggled at like a slab of meat?

“Well, pretty lady, I can refuse service to whoever I want, it’s my establishment, after all.” The man smirked, his brown eyes glinting.

Seria wanted to slump down on one of the expensive looking couches, but decided against it because she’d been walking all day. The whiskey that she drank a few hours earlier was finally wearing off and she was experiencing the full effect of hunger. One glance around the inn and the brunette knew that it was too damn francy to be just an ordinary inn. Looking back the front desk, Seria noticed Diana and the front desk man were locked in a heated glare. Deciding to bite the bullet and approach them, the brunette wasn’t expecting the young man to reach forward and grab Diana’s chin.

“Is there a problem? May I suggest you letting go of my partner’s face, I’m sure she’d appreciate that as much as I would,” Seria said, making her presence known and shooting one of her famous glares as the man.

With a huff, the man dropped his hand from the Goddess’s face, and accepted the money, handing a key attached to a plastic card in return. Seria grabbed the key from his hand and led Diana away, put an arm around her, and shot the man one last glare over her shoulder.

“Well, that was an interesting experience, don’t you agree?” Diana asked, peering up at Seria.

“‘Interesting’ wouldn’t be the word I would use. It was a rather provocative thing to do on his part, making an unwanted move like that.” Seria said, her voice monotone.

“Thank you for coming to my rescue,” The greenette giggled upon seeing Seria’s annoyed expression. “That was a very gentlemanly thing to do.”

“Feh, you can handle yourself. After all, you’re a Goddess, are you not?” 

“Of course I am, and don’t you forget it!”

“Whatever you say, Bright Eyes.” 

“Why do you insist on calling me that nickname? It’s completely illogical on why you would do so, that name doesn’t match my appearance at all, and my eyes are a shade of green, thank you very much. Besides, it’s rude to judge a person based solely on their appearance! You have much to learn about manners, Seria, and it’s only a matter of time-” Diana stopped in the middle of her sentence.

“What were you saying about manners, I zoned you out?”

“Seria..” The Goddess began, her voice cautious.

“What is it, Diana?” Seria asked, confused.

“There’s only one bed,” Diana moved so that the brunette could observe the interior of the room.

“Oh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've decided on a updating schedule for this story. I'll update every Wednesday until it's all finished.


	4. I'm Sorry

“Well, that’s not too big of a problem, it must have been a misunderstanding. I’ll head back down to the front office and request for a room change, I don’t think that’ll be too big of a burden,” Diana was about to step back out the door before Seria pulled the greenette back into their room. Turning around to lock the door, the brunette noticed the key that the Goddess had carelessly thrown on the ground and bent down to pick it up, stuffing it in her pocket.

“I’m sorry,” Seria began, annoyance seeping through her thin mask. “Did you just say you were going back down to the _front office_ , you know, where that guy nearly raped you on the top of the counter?!” Diana flinched at the brunette’s harsh, but true, words.

“I was hoping that there would be someone else when I got down there, preferably someone who wouldn’t try and “rape me on the top of the counter”, much like you said,” The Goddess replied, plopping down on the single bed, laying back and settling her arms down behind her head.” 

“Besides,” Diana said. “It wouldn’t hurt to check, and after we freshen up, we need to decide what we’re going to do about food,” 

Seria grumbled, the pesky Goddess was right, after all. They did need food to keep their bodies going, regardless how perverted the hotel manager was. The brunette shrugged off her backpack and walked into the bathroom. Just like the room, it wasn’t anything special. A small, white toilet sat in the upper right corner of the bathroom, a sink occupying the space besides it. Didn’t Diana ask for a working shower? She looked around the bathroom, spinning around as she did so. No shower here, maybe it was in another room? That had to be the case. 

Leaving the bathroom and closing the door, the brunette found the green haired Goddess pawing through the contents of the torn bag. “Won’t find anything valuable in there, Goddess. All that’s left is the stupid letter, which you’ve seen and read, some coins, and that weird black rock,” Seria said, looking unamused as her bag was dumped _over_ , the items inside spilling out all over the bed sheets. 

“Hm, looks like you’re right, there’s nothing valuable in this sack, save for the few coins,” The greenette said, picking up the black rock and running her thumb over the bumpy surface. A small _plop_ was heard as the stone was unceremoniously dropped onto the pile of objects. 

“I know I’m right, Diana, it’s my pile of stuff. Don’t you think I would know my own pile of stuff by now, even after I’ve hauled it on my back for who know how long?” Seria fell back onto the bed next to the small pile of coins that the Goddess had organized. Giggling, said Goddess brushed strands of brown hair away from a porcelain face, ignoring the pointed look the brunette gave in return.

“You’re right,” The Goddess giggled. “And since it’s your stuff, I suppose you don’t mind carrying it for the rest of our adventure?” 

Seria sighed and covered her face with crossed arms. “It’s not like I have a choice, I can’t ask you to carry it because you’ll just float off to who knows where.” She smirked. “And the fact that you’re not strong enough to lift the bag,” 

Diana scoffed at the half hearted jab at her strength. “Excuse you, I may look physically weak, but, trust me, I’m not. I may not be all toned and muscled like you, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak. Everyone has a strength and weakness in some attributes, we all can’t be perfect, you know.”

Seria blinked. “That might have been the most intelligent thing I;ve heard you say all day. Congrats, Bright Eyes, I knew you had it in you,” The brunette teased, grinning to herself. 

“Oh, Seria, I thought we were on a first name basis now,” Diana pouted, her eyes growing large and watery, much like a kicked puppy. She crept closer to the brunette, who was consciously backing up to avoid the onslaught of puppy dog eyes. 

Despite her futile attempts to get away from the _look_ , Seria’s back hit the wall and her dreams of escaping her doggy eyed fate were vanquished. Green eyes were close to hers, and Seria could see the beginning of fake tears glistening on the white sclera, as well as each individual light colored eyelash. Reaching out with her hand, the brunette cupped the Goddess’s cheek and used her free hand to brush back stray strands of hair. Gently, Seria lifted Diana’s chin and brought her face close to her own, their lips just a centimeter away. The swordswoman could feel the Goddess’s hot breath on her own lips, daring to close the gap between them, when suddenly- _flick_.

Diana jerked back unexpectedly, a small red welt the size of Seria’s fingernail starting to appear on her porcelain white skin. Looking back at the brunette sitting across from her, smirking smugly with her arms crossed, a slight red hue on her cheeks.

“And that’s that you get for almost getting raped, pouring my stuff out on the bed for no reason, and for being a smartass.” Seria suppressed a chuckle when the Goddess rubbed at the small red mark on her forehead. Ignoring the pitiful whine that came from the frowning girl, the brunette stood up and handed her backpack to the Goddess. 

“I want all my stuff back in this bag before we go out for some food. I’m going to the bathroom, please don’t break anything,” Seria said in a condescending tone. Rolling her eyes, the brunette walked to the bathroom and shut the door while Diana grudgingly began to stuff the belongings into the sack. Once the Seria had locked herself in the bathroom, the Goddess carefully set the backpack besides her, grabbed the nearest pillow on the bed, and screaming into it. 

_“Stupid Seria! Stupid, stupid Seria! Why’d you have to go and do that?!”_ Diana threw the pillow back into its original spot, and covered her face with her hands. Breathing out a long sigh, she grabbed the sack and continued stuffing Seria’s belongings into it, acting completely normal as the brunette herself walked out of the bathroom.

Said brunette raised a brow at Diana for actually doing what she was told. Walking over to the Goddess’s side, she sat down and helped fill up the pouch with the few gold coins she had. Rough hands brushed against softer ones, but the swordswoman payed it no mind, putting two water bottles into the backpack before slinging it around her shoulders. 

“Ready to go? The sun may set in an hour or so. I don’t know what comes out at night, and I don’t care to find out.” Seria gestured to the door while Diana shakily got to her feet and walked to the front door. She opened the door and walked out, the brunette following behind her. 

They walked down the same staircase they used to get to their room, passing the same greenery as before. Seria pushed her way in front of the Goddess and peered out at the front desk from her side of the corner. Thankfully, the young man they had interacted with before was gone, instead replaced with an older man whose hair was greying around the edges. He didn’t look to be the perverted time, but appearances don’t decide everything.

The brunette left her position from the corner, dragging Diana with her as she did so, and traversed out of the building, Goddess in tow. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Seria asked. The greenette only shook her head as a response, keeping her eyes focused on the ground. When the brunette lifted the Goddess’s chin in order to get her to look her in the eyes, Diana made it her number one priority to look everywhere but the auburn eyes that were staring at her with such intensity.

Sighing, Seria relinquished her hand from the Goddess’s chin, trudging up to an elderly woman surrounded by 6 or so children. The children looks to be around 10 years of age, but laughed and joked as if they were 8. Kids acting younger or older than their actual age was common all around Grand Gaia. Summoners tended to do it, too, often choosing to play games such as hacky sack instead of reporting to their usual duties in the Summoner Hall. 

“Hello,” Began Seria, awkwardly waving as the children surrounded Diana and her. “Um, we were hoping to find a place to eat? Is there a diner that won’t cost too much money to feed 2 people?” 

“Oh dear, the sun’s about to go down, I’m not sure there are anymore eateries open. If you walk past the blacksmith’s shop and take a right, you’ll see Bartholomew’s Diner and Pub, they always open to late hours. Just tell him that you’re new in town, he’ll give you a 75% discount,” The elderly woman said, smiling. Seria genuinely smiled back, happy to hear something that didn’t have a mysterious undertone.

Heeding the woman’s words, the duo walked down to the blacksmith’s shop, where a large man with a black hood was hammering away at a piece of metal, crafting it into a blade. Taking a right, they were presented with a large building shaped like a steamboat with the words “BARTHOLOMEW’S DINER AND PUB” written in bolded red letters. It seemed to resemble a boat from the 70’s, the neon lights helped support that opinion. 

Pushing open the double doors, Seria was greeted with blinking lights, bright red and white booths, tall stools, a pub, and a large amount of people. A waiter strolled up to them, clad in a purple tuxedo and gold tie. 

“Hello, ladies, is it just the two of you?” He asked. Seria nodded while Diana kept her eyes trained on the ground. “Alright if you’ll follow me, I can get you seated at a nice table,” As he began to lead them to their table, the brunette noticed a small booth in the corner of the room, where no people seemed to be standing. 

“Actually,” Seria stopped, causing the waiter to turn around and look at her curiously. “Can we have that table over there?” She pointed to the single table in the desolate area of the diner. The waiter stared at her as if she’s grown a second head, glanced down at Diana, looked back up at Seria and a look of realization came across his face. He smiled, happy that he could be of assistance to the “lovely _couple_ ".

“Of course! Please follow me,” He lead them to Seria’s requested table, standing back as both women took their sides of the booth, Seria on the left and Diana on the right. “A waiter will be here to take your orders shortly,” He said, setting down 2 menus and a special events tab.

Picking up a menu, the brunette briefly scanned the pages with no interest whatsoever, opting to stare at the Goddess in front of her, who was flipping absent mindedly through the pages. Closing the menu and setting it down in front of her, Seria leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, eyes looking intently at the greenette, who seemed to be ignoring her purposefully, or ignorant of the brunette’s gaze on her.

“Diana.” Seria tried, sighing when the Goddess flinched, but continue to scan over the menu, pretending to have not have heard her. 

“Diana.” She tried again, drumming her fingers on the table, resisting the urge to snatch the laminated pages out of the Goddess’s grip. 

_“Diana!”_ The brunette all but shouted, calmed down when she finally got a reaction out from the Goddess. “Diana,” Seria said, more gently. “Why are you ignoring me? If I did something, or said something, then I’m sorry.”

The Goddess said nothing, her face flushing red. The drumming of fingers against the table was back, this time at a slower pace and with more audible thumps. Seria smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead, giving up on fixing whatever it was she did wrong. 

The waiter came by and took their orders for food, as well as for drinks. Meanwhile, the waiter in the purple tuxedo had returned to his position behind the bar, taking bets on who was going to kiss who first, the brunette or the greenette. Another waiter dressed in a regular black tux and white tie grabbed the money from the purple tuxedo’s hand and gave each recipient their bettings back, saying that gambling was prohibited on the ground of the establishment. The purple clad man grumbled something inaudible, perking up when the black clad man quickly pecked him on the cheek and walked away.

Seria and Diana were left alone for the rest of their dinner. Seria’s steak was brought to her medium rare as instructed, as well as Diana’s house salad. They both ate in silence. The brunette paid for their meal, tipped 15%, and left the diner. The walk back to their inn was the same as their dinner, fast with no talking from either party. Opening the door, Seria saw the same young man as earlier, same cocky grin and same ridiculous hairstyle. 

She threw her arm over Diana once more, pulling her close and sending a growl to the man who sneered at her and made a rude gesture. Diana said nothing but clung to the brunette when the man made eye contact with her. Throwing open the door to their room, the brunette wasted no time in stripping off her shirt, which was colored grey with sweat and smelled of dining grease, throwing it in the sink and turning the faucet on. She did the same with her pants, soaking them in the sink with her shirt. She opened and closed random drawers until she found what she wanted, a white nightgown and short pants to match. It was better than nothing.

Meanwhile, Diana still stood in the doorway, finding interest in a small discoloration in the floor. She tried to block out the noise Seria was making, as well as the shirtless and pantless brunette herself but couldn’t. Diana was brought back into the uncomfortable situation of reality when the brunette pulled the Goddess into the room, turned her around, and started to unzip her multicolored dress. 

“I can do it myself, you know!” The greenette jumped back and hugged her falling dress to her shoulders. Seria stepped back and rolled her eyes at the Goddess’s display of embarrassment. 

“Go ahead, take your time, it not like I want to sleep or anything,” The brunette remarked drily. Green eyes narrowed at her and Seria sighed, turning around and covering her eyes. 

“Toss your clothes on the ground and put this on.” Seria tossed Diana the nightgown, taking the pants for herself. She noticed the Goddess staring at her with a questioning look. “What? That’ll be enough to cover your body, just wear it and get in bed, if you’re so self conscious,”

The brunette picked up the discarded dress, set it in the sink, turned off the light, grabbed a pillow from the small sofa and set it on the ground. 

“Since I’m sure you’re mad at me for some reason, I’m guessing you’re not pleased to have to share a bed with me. I’ll take the ground, and don’t give me that pitying look, it’s my own choice,” The brunette laid down on her singular pillow as Diana pulled the covers over her body. The Goddess stared at the wall across from her for many minutes as Seria’s breathing became soft and shallow. 

Turning around to face the sleeping brunette underneath her, green eyes reflected a formulated plan, ready to be set in action. Slowly, Diana’s feet touched the ground, and she tiptoed around Seria’s body, blanket in one hand and a pillow in another. Setting her own pillow down besides the swordswoman, the Goddess pulled the covers over the brunette and herself, before settling down and ghosting a hand over sleeping features. 

“I was never mad at you, Seria,” The Goddess whispered, softly. “I just wished that you had actually gone through with it. Maybe.. maybe I am crazy,” She gave a small laugh. “But, next time, don’t do such a thing, and actually kiss me for real. Sleep well, Seria.” Diana reached over and pressed a quick kiss to Seria’s temple before turning around and falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOLOLOLOL 
> 
> Throughout this story, I cockblocked you a total of two times. Two times two is four. Four minus one is three. You know what that means? You guessed it; I'm an asshole.


	5. What just happened?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this late? I'm going to say this is late..

Seria rolled over in her sleep, the blanket that Diana had brought with her cocooning her in it’s wraps. The warrior tossed and turned in her sleep, opening one eye slightly to sneak peek at the outside sky. Unsurprisingly, it was still dark, the luminescent moon shining light from its edges. She sighed and nestled down back into the blanket, her back was going to kill her in the morning. The brunette tried to pull the blanket higher to cover her bare shoulders and torso, but felt resistance on the other side. 

She blinked. The brunette didn’t remember bringing a blanket down to the ground with her, only a pillow that used to be on the couch. Rolling back over, she saw something that completely pieced together the picture. _“Strange,”_ Seria thought, an amused smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. _“I don’t remember bringing a Goddess down here with me.”_

There were many reasons on why Diana was practically _hugging_ her waist, but none of them made any sense to the brunette. Either the Goddess had slept on the floor of her accord, or she fell from the bed, somehow managing to take a blanket with her, and decided that it was too much of a hassle to get back on the bed, and just slept on the ground. Seria never pegged Diana as the type to cling to someone in her sleep, but then again, she wasn’t the best judge of character. 

It took minutes before Seria succumbed to the open arms of sleep, and the Goddess’s grip on her wasn’t helping much. The brunette tried prying the other girl's’ arms off of her, but gave up due to her frustration levels rising and the fact that Diana, although tiny, had a strong grip. Someone unconscious couldn’t have such a strong grip, was the Goddess even asleep? Maybe she was just faking it to see Seria’s response. The brunette poked the “sleeping” greenette’s cheek with her pointer finger, watching in confusion as the Goddess scrunched up her nose and nestled closer to Seria’s torso. In a way, it was kind of cute - not that Seria liked watching people while they sleep, of course!

Letting the Goddess do what she wanted, the brunette fell back asleep while bright eyes opened and looked at her. _“Well, at least she isn't poking me, it's not fun being on the receiving end.”_ Diana thought. _“Still.. her hands are pretty soft, even with all that sword wielding._ While Diana was taking her sweet time scrutinizing Seria’s features up close, the brunette herself felt like she was being watched.

It was an odd feeling, but it was something that she had experienced before. The gaze of another on her back, face, arms, legs, or chest region was something she had to get used to in the Arena. Speculators would occasionally bet on who they think would win, judging by the competitor’s Units, what level they were, what element they possessed, how high their evolution ranked, and lastly, how “cool” they looked. Although it was a simple game played by many Summoner’s, the pressure that the competitors and their respective Units felt was intensified. Normal Arena matches without betting were stressful enough, the winner gaining prosperity for a few brief moments, and the loser getting humiliated until they managed to redeem themselves, _if_ they redeemed themselves.

Seria wanted to open her eyes and scan them across the moonlit room, making sure that an uninvited guest didn’t get in. She felt light touches trace across her forehead, leading down to her cheeks, and swirling around the curve of her lips. Her eyes moved back and forth under their eyelids, it took her absolute willpower to restrain her hands from remaining where they were, that would be a dead giveaway that she was conscious. 

_“Seria’s lips are soft, and she has such a beautiful complexion. It’s a shame she frowns all the time, if she were to smile a bit more, she would look absolutely radiant.”_ The Goddess removed her hand from the brunette’s face, noticing her eyes frantically moving about under their lids. Feigning sleep, the greenette slowed her breathing and let her hand fall back to it’s previous position by the other girl’s stomach, while the other remain on her waist.

Auburn eyes snapped open and took in the dark room, examining every corner of the room for possible intruders. Could each room have security cameras positioned in such a way that it would be nearly unidentifiable? The reasoning behind installing cameras in every room was so bizarre that it actually made sense! However, there was also the possibility that there were cameras positioned solely in this room, which explained why that hotel manager gave them this exact room! 

Something about that guy really rubbed her the wrong way. The brunette groaned, frowned and decided to let it go, all this thinking was making her head hurt. Seria closed her eyes, intent on getting some sleep, and rolled over so her back was facing the “sleeping” Goddess. Within minutes of the opposite party turning over, Diana wrenched her arm out of the space between the brunette’s waist and the hard ground. She crossed her arms over her chest and fell asleep, a small frown on her face. 

It was hours later when the Goddess woke up again, immediately noticing the sunlight streaming through the window. The space that used to be occupied by a sleeping warrior was now empty, the bed sheet tossed aside and pillow back in place on the couch. Diana looked around, not noticing Seria anywhere. She was probably in the bathroom, taking her sweet time to freshen up.

“So you’re up,” A voice suddenly spoke from the Goddess’s right. The greenette jumped in surprise whens she noticed Seria sitting on the bed, legs crossed and right eyebrow raised.

“Jeez! Don’t scare me like that, I thought you were in the bathroom!” Diana held a hand to her chest in an attempt to still her rapidly beating heart. Seria was still shirtless. Seria was sitting shirtless with her legs crossed with her face in an adorable expression. 

“There wouldn’t have been a difference if I was, you still would’ve been scared,” The brunette said cooly. The Goddess frowned at her backsass.

“Shouldn’t you put on a shirt?” Diana said, trying to change the topic. Green eyes looked her up and down, finally settling on the brunette’s face, which sported a small smirk.

“Do you want me to?” Seria laughed at the Goddess’s miffed expression. Something was wrong, Seria rarely laughed, and when she does, she doesn’t. The brunette wasn’t being as stubborn as she usually was, and she didn’t make as many sarcastic remarks as she usually would. Maybe Seria was turning over a new leaf!

And maybe pigs can fly. Diana scoffed, she prefered normal Seria over “happy go lucky; I don’t make as many sarcastic remarks” Seria. Besides, with all the frowning and scoffing that she was doing, it was possible that their personalities had switched. 

“Oi, you alright there, Bright Eyes? You spaced out for a second,” The brunette waved her hand in front of the Goddess’s face, retrieving her hands when glassy green eyes returned to their usual shine. 

“Yep! Now, where’s your shirt, we have a long journey ahead of us today!” It was official, their personalities hadn’t switched, and Seria had just through a very short “happy” phase that would probably never happen ever again.

That same infuriating smirk was back on rosy lips. “You’re wearing it, Bright Eyes,” Diana supposed that was when the universe decided that it hated her. Looking down, she was wearing the same nightgown that she had gone to sleep in, nothing was out of the ordinary and she certainly wasn’t wearing Seria’s clothing. 

Looking back at the smirking woman in front of her, the Goddess nearly pulled out her hair in frustration. The brunette had both of their day clothes gripped in each hand, playfully swinging Diana’s dress like a windmill. “Are you out of your mind, Seria?! That’s _satin!_ Don’t swing it in the air!” Hands made a grab for the piece of attire, which had stopped swinging in the air, and now only hung out of her reach. 

Amused at the sight in front of her, Seria continued to wave the clothing out of the Goddess’s reach. The brunette was a head taller than the greenette, and despite Diana’s attempts to grab the clothing by jumping, the brunette simply tossed it up into the air, let it fall, caught it, and continued to tease the bemused Goddess. The pair had navigated over and onto the bed, causing Seria to lose her height advantage. 

Victory was within Diana’s grasp, if only she could stretch a _little further_ and grab that damned dress. That was the plan, and it would’ve succeeded if the universe decided not to hate the Goddess for whatever wrong she did. The greenette lost her balance and toppled straight into Seria, who was hit by the unexpected weight of a Goddess on top of her. They stayed like that for a few seconds, Diana on top of Seria, who was still holding the piece of cloth above her head like a flag. 

Green eyes met auburn as brown waves eclipsed the Goddess’s view. She felt her eyelids close instinctively as warmth erupted on her cheeks, lips, traveling all the way down from her shoulders to her toes. _Seria was kissing her._ The thought hit Diana like a truck as her eyes snapped open and glanced down at the lips currently covering her own.

The Goddess pulled away from the lip lock, panting slightly due to her increased heart rate and from holding her breath. Auburn eyes shone with mischief as Diana’s face was covered in a screen of pink, mouth hanging open in disbelief.

“W-why did you just do that?” The Goddess managed to squeak out before strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her down once more. This time, it was slow, gentle, rhythmic and lasted for too short of a time before Diana pulled away again, asking the same question.

“Why did you do that, Seria?” The other girl gave no answer, continuing to smile smugly up at the Goddess. “For Creator’s sake, Seria, answer me!” 

“I’m only doing what you wanted me to do, Diana,” Seria finally responded, sitting up while Diana continued to straddle the older girl’s lap. The Goddess looked baffled at the brunette’s answer, green eyes narrowing in confusion before growing wide in realization. _“But, next time, don’t do such a thing, and actually kiss me for real.”_ It was true, she had said that before she fell asleep last night, but the Goddess didn’t think it would happen for real the next morning! 

“I assume you remember now?” The brunette asked, smiling when the greenette nodded in affirmation. Seria leaned forward and pecked the Goddess gently on the cheek, softly saying her name afterwards.

 _“Diana,”_ She whispered, lightly kissing the Goddess on the forehead. The brunette pulled back, took the greenette’s hand and brushed her lips against the porcelain surface, uttering the Goddess’s name again.

 _“Diana..”_ Seria said again, this time a bit louder. She pushed the Goddess back onto the bed and held her arms above her head, gently sucking on the exposed flesh of her neck. Using her free hand that wasn’t restricted by holding Diana’s arms together, she lightly traced the facial structure of the woman lying beneath her, drawing circles over a pair of slightly puffed lips. 

_“Diana!”_ The brunette screamed, releasing the Goddess’s hands from their bound position. The greenette rubbed her eyes at the odd display, sitting up, only to find herself on ground level, an annoyed brunette’s face inches in front of her.

 _What just happened?!_

“About time you woke up, I called your name three times before you finally got up! Hurry up, take a shower and change, breakfast is in 20 minutes. Your dress is hanging on the door,” Seria instructed, sitting back on her bottom.

Diana blinked, still disoriented, but did what Seria had instructed. She walked into the bathroom, turned the shower to the _coldest_ setting, threw off her nightgown and stood in the fall of water.

It had all been a dream- the universe really hated her after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I apologize for releasing this chapter late, I hope its contents were enough to suffice. If not, another one will be released on Wednesday or Thursday afternoon by the latest.


	6. Bad Decisions are Fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY

When Diana was done mulling around in the shower, she turned the fountain of water off and groped around for her dress. She found it exactly where Seria said it would be, hanging on the door, still in the process of drying. The greenette patted her body dry and slipped on her dress, the fabric immediately sticking to dry skin. Turning on the water faucet, the Goddess wet her hands under the stream of water and lightly ran her fingers through slightly tangled hair. Diana reached for a plastic cup sitting on the porcelain tabletop, filled it with minty green mouthwash, filled her mouth with said liquid, gargled and spit. Wiping her hands on a nearby towel, she firmly grasped the dully shining doorknob, twisting it and pushing forwards, shattering the remains of any safety boundaries set up between her and Seria. Diana stepped into the main room, looking around for the brunette, only to be greeted with an empty room and the front door wide open.

Seria’s shoes were missing, as well as her sword and sheath, so the brunette must’ve left while Diana was showering. It was odd being the only occupant in the room. It seemed so much livelier when Seria was around, even though the other woman made for poor company with her sharp tongue and brash replies. The Goddess crossed over to the entrance and shut the door, stopping a wind current mid breeze, and twisted the lock. 

Diana’s hand lingered on the lock, torn between unlocking the door, stepping outside and looking for Seria, or leaving the door locked and staying the room. Fortunately, she didn’t have to dwell on the decision for long because three loud thumps against the wooden door, and a muffled bark of _“Diana, open the door! And step back when ya’ do!”_ decided her outcome for her. The brunette sounded extremely irritated, maybe she wasn’t a morning person?

The Goddess flung open the door and hid behind the painted piece of wood while a young man with disheveled brown hair marched backwards into the room, his hands gripping one side of a rectangular silver platter. Seria stomped in a few moments afterwards, eyes glaring daggers at the man in front of her. Turning so that she was the one facing the door, the brunette walked towards a table directly behind her and made a movement of setting the platter onto the table. The young man complied, standing up straight and stretching his back as Seria made sure none of the food would fall off. 

The brunet plopped down on one of the armchairs, stretching his long legs and making a show of crossing his legs on the table, ensuring that the bottom of his shirt slid up _just_ the right amount for both girls in the room to view his stomach without making it extremely obvious. Seria’s right eye twitched; who did this guy think he was?! At this rate, Lugina’s title of “Egotistical Shitlord of the Decade” may not belong to Lugina when the day came to a close. 

“You, pretty boy,” Seria snapped, scowling when the young man turned to face her, one hand resting on the arm of his chair, the other straying to the hem of his collared dress shirt, lifting it up a few millimeters higher. “What’s your name?”

“My name, the pretty maiden asks?” Pretty boy flashed a quick smile, legs spreading wider as Seria’s scowl deepened. 

“Yes, your name, as in the word your mother uses for describing a failed abortion,” The brunette was beyond seething now, she didn’t appreciate her rage being brushed aside like a fly. 

“Seria!” Diana scolded, unfortunately making her presence known to the brunet in the room, whose smile got even brighter and more cocky. 

“Toma Devich,” He stood up and announced his name, bowing down to his knees in flourish. “At your service,”

“Good for you, now if you can be so kind to remove yourself, my partner and I would like to enjoy our breakfast in _peace._ ” 

“Of course, anything for the beautiful lady and her radiant friend! But first, payment. The standard meal costs 250 gold pieces, complete with lodging. As for any additional benefits, such as my generous act of helping you carry this heavy platter up to your room, that’ll cost you extra; 50 gold pieces to be exact. That totals your cost up to 300 gold pieces, would you like to pay upfront or later?” “Toma” replied, a cheeky grin slathered on his face as Seria’s mouth grew into a straight line. 

“I suppose that if we choose to pay later, you’ll charge us an additional fee for having you come pick up the platter, as well as having you wait?” The brunette ran a hand through her hair, not oblivious to the way Toma’s glinting eyes followed her body’s every movement. 

“That is corrrrect!” The young man sang, purposefully drawing out the “r” for added effect. 

“Diana,” Seria’s eyes traveled over to the green haired Goddess standing in the corner. “I need you to grab my bag from beneath the bed,” Blazing auburn eyes followed the Goddess’s stiff movement as she walked robotically over to the bed, bent down and retrieved the brown sack. She walked back to Seria’s side and silently handed the brunette her bag, eyebrows pressing together in a symbol of worry. 

The brunette counted the young man’s fee, cursing in an unknown language when the coins came up short. This, of course, only added to the young man’s gleeful expression as the swordswoman reluctantly trudged to where he stood and dropped the coins into his outstretched palm. 

Diana didn’t know that it was humanly possible for a person’s face to stretch like that, even at the corners. His grin was starting to resemble the Cheshire Cat, creepiness and all. 

“Terribly sorry, dearie, but I believe that the fee was a total of _300 gold coins._ You’ve only given me 275, where’s the rest of the payment?” Toma pocketed the coins, bouncing up and down on the souls of his feet, the loud tinkling of coins serving to agitate the brunette even more. 

“You were birthed with eyes, it’s time you used them for a purpose that doesn’t involve mentally stripping my partner,” She coolly replied, handing the empty bag back to the Goddess behind her. 

“Oh? Babe, I’m not leaving without my additional 25 gold pieces, so if I were you, I’d put that sweet ass of yours to work and scrounge up my money,” Toma remarked, earning another sharp glare from Seria, and plopped back down onto the armchair, stretching out and resting his legs on the nearby loveseat. 

Green eyes scanned over the scene, sensing the tense atmosphere with the way Toma’s eyes challengingly held Seria’s glare when not drifting down _south_ before quickly snapping back up to offer a quirky smile.

The brunette opened her mouth, ready to fire off another sharp retort targeted at the man's ego, but a small tug on the bottom of her tunic rallied her attention away from the irritating gentleman currently making himself comfortable in the large armchair. Tearing her eyes away from the maddening sight, Seria was dumbfounded when a small hand pushed a few coins into her slightly calloused ones.

“When did you..” The brunette managed to breathe out before glancing down at the small but sufficient pile of coins currently resting in her palm. She counted, ten, twenty, thirty, thirty-five gold coins, already more than enough of what the thieving man had requested. The Goddess gave a small wink, put a single finger to her lips, and then nudged Seria forward, prompting her face into an immediate scowl.

“There.” She said, slamming twenty-five gold pieces onto the table where Toma’s feet still lay planted. “Your twenty-five gold pieces, just like you requested. Now, get out,” The brunette gingerly lifted one of his boot clad feet and unceremoniously dropped it on the floor, doing the same with the opposite foot, and making a big show of wiping the fingers that touched him on the curtains, much to Diana’s amusement. 

Toma sat up, scooped up the coins with his hand, counted them, furrowing his eyebrows when it consisted of exactly twenty-five pieces, and dropped them into his pocket. “So pushy, can’t a guy just spend quality time with two beautiful women?” 

The brunet was starting to play with matches, and Seria was a ticking time bomb. “Not if the guy is a perverted waste of space. Were you dropped on your head as a child? What part of “get out” don’t you understand!?” 

“Tch. I’m leaving, thank you _so_ very much for your business,” The young man stood up, brushed off his not-so-dirty pants, walked to the door and unlocked it, about to walk out and slam the door, when Seria added her last minute imput. 

“I hope the door hits you on your way out,” Seria smirked. Toma slammed the door regardless.

Diana rolled her eyes at the brunette’s predictable behavior, letting out a small sigh of relief as the young man finally left their room. Her bright eyes trailed over to the silver platter, stockpiled with plates and bowls of various foods, some of them still steaming hot, even after the whole engage.

Her questioning look was enough for Seria to grab her by the arm and plop her down on the couch, sitting in the space besides her and explaining the silver platter with a deadpan look, accompanied by a single word explanation.

“Breakfast,” _You don’t say._

“While I appreciate the gesture, Gods and Goddesses don’t need the nourishment from human food to survive,” 

The brunette turned to face the smaller Goddess and glared at her, disbelievingly. Seconds after, she pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers and muttered something under her breath. Grabbing a meat bun with one hand, Seria took a small bite out of the bread, chewed and swallowed before sending another pointed look in Diana’s direction.

“Look, we’re going to be walking a majority of the day, and I don’t want you fainting. Goddess or not, you have to eat something. I don’t wanna have to carry around your dead weight if you do end up fainting,” To emphasize her point, the brunette took another bite out of her food, and handed a bowl of rice porridge to the greenette. 

“Seria-” 

A spoon was plunked into the bowl of porridge, effectively cutting off Diana’s next sentence. “Eat, this topic isn’t up for discussion,” 

“Well, how do you know that this stuff isn’t laced with some kind of drug? You really did a number on that young man’s ego the day before, and I wouldn’t put it past him to dump something in the recipe!” 

“Now you’re just being paranoid. I was there when they made my order, and you just watched me literally take two bites out of this meat bun! It hasn’t been laced,” Seria scooped up a spoonful of porridge and held it in front of the greenette’s mouth. “Eat.”

Diana pouted, eyes growing larger in a show of puppy eyes, trying to persuade the brunette into not letting her eat. This only prompted said brunette to scoff, keep a stiff upper arm to position the spoon of rice porridge directly in front of the Goddess’s mouth, and continue to eat her dumpling with her free hand. Meanwhile, Diana tried to push away Seria’s hand from her face, but it simply wouldn’t budge.

_For Creator’s sake.._

“Alright, fine! If you just eat this pathetic spoonful, I won’t make you eat any more “human” food!,” Seria huffed and gave the plastic spoon over to the greenette, who hesitantly took it and passed it between her two hands like it was a hot piece of metal. The warrior went back to her meat bun, finishing it in mere moments before grabbing a plate piled up with turnip cakes and egg, along with a cup of Jasmine tea. 

The dinner they ate the night before wasn’t very filling, and the whiskey Seria had consumed only seemed to make her appetite even more ravenous. Diana still had to polish off her one spoonful of porridge, opting to watch in awe as the brunette cleaned off various plates of food; ranging from poached eggs, bowls of congee, glasses of milk and orange juice, even another pile of turnip cake! And yet, even devouring after all that food, she had yet to belch once.  


Even after all this time, the Goddess hadn't eaten her measly spoonful. Either she was intent on not eating human food, or she was just being annoyingly stubborn. Did keeping a "clean slate" mean that much to her? Diana's pride had kept her from accomplishing copious things during the time they spent together. Even if that statement were a matter of Seria's opinion, it still served to be true to some degree. The greenette had gotten upset with her over an unknown cause, only for it to be magically resolved the next morning. Now, the brunette had gotten herself trapped in this predicament.  


Wiping her mouth on a napkin, Seria stood up, stretched, and started the cleanup process of breakfast. She piled all the empty dishes onto the silver platter, intent on returning it to its rightful kitchen before Toma could give them any more hell. The brunette bustled around the rented room, gathering up any supplies that she'd forgotten the night before.  


While Seria's back was turned to her, Diana ate the porridge off the spoon, gagging at its cold texture. She'd expected it to fall and land like a rock in her stomach, but experienced a different sensation. Her stomach _growled._ It seemed that abstaining from food for such a long time had taken its toll on her stomach.  
When the swordswoman came around to retrieve the plates, an abashed looked stopped her in her tracks, and she understood.  


"So that was all it took, huh?" Seria smiled a little, sarcastically of course. "Well," She continued, throwing a bag onto the couch. "It's your decision to continue eating, I won't force you- not that it would’ve made any difference,”  


The brunette made a quick trip to the bathroom, lugging her backpack along with her in order to scam the owners of their soaps, shampoos and various other toiletries. Watching with amusement hidden in her eyes, the Goddess’s arms functioned robotically, using her plastic utensils to bring food to her mouth while watching the older woman maneuver about.  


A small made Diana quickly glance down at the empty bowl of porridge, while snapping her head back up to stare at the cleared plates being carried away and placed alongside its companions. Watching Seria lift the towering pile of glass tupperware made her extremely uneasy, and that feeling only doubled when the stubborn woman tried to open the door with one hand while fending off invisible demons with the other.  


Somehow, she got the door open and set the cornucopia of plates, bowls and drinkware right on the dirty welcome mat. Standing up and stretching her spine, Seria came back into the small hotel room and grabbed the now heavier burlap sack from the floor. At the same time, Diana brushed past the brunette and added her small bowl and plastic spoon to the teetering pile of glass. The Goddess turned around just as the door to the hotel room shut behind her and a turning of a key was heard. A cold something press itself into her hand and a collar of cloth wound itself around her neck. An unamused Seria stood watching the flurry of emotions, ranging from mild fear, shock, surprise and irritation, race across the greenette’s face. Finally, the Goddess seemed to gather her wits and opened her mouth to say something sharp when the brunette put a hand underneath her chin and closed her mouth before an annoying squeak of chatter could come out. Diana instantly shut up and followed Seria as she made her way down the spiral of stairs and into the air conditioned lobby. It stood vacant, save for a young woman resting her feet upon the counter and flipping lazily through a magazine.  


The girl at the counter looked up and locked eyes before returning down to her reading material, giving a careless wave goodbye to the brunette who returned it with one of her own. Seria left the girl to her own devices and exited the building, Goddess in tow. It was still rather early, the sun had only risen a fourth of the way into the sky. Children were scattered around the area, playing with wooden toys while their parents watched from afar.  


Diana looked at the kids playing without a care in the world and felt a slight pang of jealousy. Meanwhile, her companion had chosen to ignore the activity going on around her and set off on the dirt road. Seria had acquired a map from a nice gentleman from a nearby shop and was now using it to find their way out of the little village.  
The map proved itself to be a useful item and the noises of the village behind them were growing dimmer with every step they took. She folded the map into fourths and shoved it back into her pocket, continuing to walk down the path. There was nothing around them, very few trees and yellow grass. There weren’t any wild forest animals to be spotted and there weren’t any bird in the sky. One could almost describe the scenery as depressing.  


The sun made its way higher into the blue sky, insisting on scorching their bodies with its bright, yellow rays. The brunette faltered in her step, tripping over a tiny pebble and earning a giggle from Diana. A scoff was emitted from the other woman’s throat, brushing herself off and silently expressing her gratefulness that there were no other eyes around to witness her display of amazing coordination.  


The pair walked in silence for many miles. The depressing scenery that they’d grown accustomed to was gradually being replaced with decaying shrubbery, browning grasses and dead trees. Up ahead, there looked to be a small shack that blended in with its dreary surroundings. Seria stopped in her path, nearly sending Diana crashing into her, retrieved her map from its snug position in her pocket.  


She looked at it, once, twice, three times she scanned her auburn orbs over the text that the map had to offer, only to conclude that it was now useless. They were off the map. She rubbed her eyes, convinced that it was heatstroke that was toying with her mind. She blinked, hard, but the gray still surrounded her and there was still a shack up ahead.  


"You see it too, right? I’m not going insane, right?” Seria asked, turning back to face her partner who bore the same confused expression.  
“The house?” Diana said, pointing to the above the brunette’s shoulder. She nodded in affirmation. “I don’t think we should go towards it, we don’t know what could be waiting for us,”  


Seria pressed her lips into a thin line, contemplating the value of Diana’s words. Yes, they didn’t know what was up there or if it was even friendly. But, all good things came from a risk being taken. There was logic but there was also reward, and right now they were running out of water.  


“Let’s just see what’s in there, we won’t stay long,” Ignoring the many protests that were running out of the Goddess’s mouth, she continued to walk until they were standing in front of the wooden shack. It looked to be abandoned in haste, the door was wide open and some of the windows were cracked.  


“Seria, I really don’t think we should go in there! I mean, what if whoever lives here comes back and finds us snooping through their house, we’ll be killed for sure!”  


“Calm down, Bright Eyes, this house looks to be abandoned.” Seria cautiously stepped into the shack, only to cough when a large spray of dust erupted in her face.  


“Besides,” she continued. “I won’t let anything harm you, not while I’m around.” She sent a small grin in Diana’s direction, the latter lowering her eyes to the ground and making a tiny, concerned sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have an excuse, I really don't. All I can say is that updates will be extremely sporadic, but I will not leave this story unfinished. The guilt will consume me alive if I do. I do have good news; I have the basic plot written out so I won't get writter's block as often. If I don't update this story for a massive amount of time, I'm either crying over SAT practice, working on a short story or baking.


	7. Winding Roads

The brunette drew her sword and cut apart a group of cobwebs that hung too low for comfort. She, as well as the majority of the Summoners, Karl, Lugina, and Paris, all hated spiders with a burning passion. It didn’t matter whether they were tiny or large, once you took your eyes off those 8 legged demons, they’d scurry off to Gods-know-where and you could never find them until it was too later and you had to burn down your house. Being the brave man that he was, Lugina caught sight of a small garden spider crawling along the kitchen counter, turned himself around, exited the kitchen and came back in with flamethrower that he’d taken from the basement of the Arena, and promptly burned his house down. The Elder Summoners were not pleased by his heroic act of spider killing, but the arachnid was dead and that’s all that mattered.  


With the sticky strings of death properly disposed of, Seria walked into what appeared to be the living room. The hardwood flooring was rotting in several places near the walls, the wall themselves weren’t much better off; the paint was peeling and whatever of it remained in tact was messily slathered on by an amature hand. Out of all the home furnishings that this little shack had to offer, the curtains were definitely in the best shape with their numerous bullet holes and shrapnel tears. The uniform pattern of cavities in the fabric made Seria sick to her stomach; Trypophobia was not an easy feat to deal with, especially if people like _Lugina_ flash an image of your worst nightmare at you every other day.  


She diverted her eyes away from the bullet ridden curtains and set to explore the other features in the shack. Diana was still standing near the doorway, not even having taken a step inside while Seria was busy being traumatized. The air inside didn’t feel right to her; it was too musty but at the same time it held a sinister secret that couldn’t be deciphered. The brunette was busy tinkering with stray objects, clay figures, empty baskets, scrambling already messy piles of paper, to pay any attention to the Goddess who stood cautiously in the doorway. She ventured deeper into the unknown of the shack, ducking under a metal pipe that hung too low for comfort and momentarily disappearing behind a wall. For a while, there was no sound coming from Seria’s end. Diana swallowed an uncomfortable lump in her throat, had something happened to her while inside that dangerous place?  


“Seria?” She called out, taking a few tentative steps into the welcoming atmosphere, immediately regretting her choice when a foul stench shot up her nose. The Goddess hurriedly backtracked out into the open outside, getting as far away from that horrid smell as humanly possibly. She was stuck outside this little shack of horror and funk while Seria, seemingly unaffected by the odor creeping out from every crevice noticeable, wandered about the area with no plan in mind.  


“Seria, are you alright?” She tried calling out again, growing worried when there was no still no audible answer. Diana opted to put aside her disdain for the smell and head to the brunette’s aid, but one step forward into the shack caused her to erase all possible plans of rescue and instead focus on getting the smell out of her nose.  


From the time they’d spent together, which really wasn’t that long if one thought about it, Seria had a knack for getting into sticky situations. There was their first meeting, where she’d plowed greenette into the ground without realizing it, and another memorable moment when she was given the “silent treatment” for reacting in a wrong way to the Goddess’s attempt at teasing.  


Seria had also proven herself to be somewhat clumsy with delicate things, especially if said delicate things were porcelain tea cups or fine china. Her sword wielding didn’t do much to help in these situation, it was obvious that she was used to handling heavy duty objects and not dainty glass figurines. Still, it was an amusing sight to see: big, tough Seria struggling to carefully put down boxes full of tea cups and china plates. Her struggle was worth it; the old woman paid them generously.  


Diana gave up on trying to call out to Seria, the smell was too pungent and seemed to be saping her strength. The brunette was on her own. Reluctantly, she slid down the frame of the door and sat with her legs huddled up to her chest. Intently listening, she could just make out of distant sound of scuffling, foreign cursing, and maybe even.. shattering objects?  


The Goddess giggled. Typical Seria, getting annoyed when commodities block her path and resorting to hopeless violence in an attempt to clear her way. When was the last time she used her _words_ to solve an issue? Probably never, it didn’t seem like the “Seria” thing to do. Then again, the way she solved her problems did seem a tad bit heroic, even if rushing into situations endangered the rest of her group. She wouldn’t rush into a battle if her team were unable to follow up, right? Diana mentally noted to ask the brunette this at a later time.  


-  


She must’ve dozed off, because when she reopened her eyes she was in Seria’s arms, perspiration dotting on the surface of her forehead. Diana’s body weight combined with the weight of her backpack must’ve caused the brunette to tire more quickly, even though the sun wasn’t shining as brightly as before. The blue sky was littered with fluffy clouds, helping block out the sun’s harmful rays. Seria’s auburn ones were glazed over and unfocused; she didn’t give a knowing reaction when Diana began to shift her weight around.  


Being carried wasn’t all that bad- she didn’t have to walk around and floating for long periods of time relied on large amounts of stamina. Still, it was an odd experience to be carried around by someone as stubborn as she. Seria could’ve thrown her over her shoulder and slung her backpack on her other one to have an easier walking experience.  
“Hey, you can put me down. You’re already carrying so much and it seems like we’ve got a long way to go!” The Goddess tried to get through to the young woman, but she was too deep in thought to hear.  


“Hey, Seria! Are you listening to me?” Diana tried again, this time raising her voice by a few octaves. When no response was giving from the other party, she raised up her hand and poked the brunette in her soft cheek. That, as absurd as it was, got her a response.  


Seria stumbled in her step, nearly tripping over her own two feet and kissing the ground with her face. Luckily, she caught herself before assaulting the ground and managed to stand back up, disheveled Goddess still wrapped in her embrace.  


“Oh,” Was all she muttered before releasing her hold on her partner and -nearly- dropping her on the ground. The halfhearted glare that Diana sent her way was lost on the brunette who stretched out her spine and gave a small groan when her bones made a popping sound. Besides her, Diana cringed and grimaced as the disgusting sound brought back memories of previous wars; foot soldiers being managed, mages getting torn to shreds by assassins, even the occasional familiar face was drowned under the sea of bloody battle.  


She shook her head to rid herself of those unwanted memories and flew off to match Seria’s steady pace, hovering a few inches off the ground. “So,” She began uncertainly. “What were you thinking about just now? You seemed really upset.” Diana didn’t want to pry into her partner’s personal life, but it was hardly everyday that Seria was so captivated by thought to block out all aspects of the outside world. She was curious, and curiosity didn’t _always_ kill the cat.  


Seria made a noncommittal noise and then shrugged, wincing at the straps that dug into her shoulder blades. “It’s nothing important,”  


Diana gave her a hard look, which quickly transformed into a small pout. “Seria, if something’s bothering you, I want you to tell me. I don’t want to sit by and do nothing while someone I really care for is battling something they don’t have to face alone.”  


The brunette’s tired eyes regained a bit of spark, and the beginning of a smile worked its way across her face, starting from the left edge of her lips and rolling across her mouth. She stopped in her stride and swung off her backpack. Seria stood up straight and stretched once more, this time focusing on her shoulders and upper back. Meanwhile, Diana floated patiently by her side.  


A chuckle escaped the brunette’s throat, completely out of the ordinary. The Goddess looked around, there wasn't anything worth laughing over for kilometers on end. Thinking quickly, she descended until her feet touched the ground and began rummaging through the bag. She retrieved a canister of fresh water and made her way back to Seria’s side, presenting her with the drink, and shoving it into her open hands when she wouldn’t make a move to take it.  


“You’re hallucinating. Clearly, you’ve been exerting yourself for too long in this weather, not to mention having walked for how long? You need rest, Seria. You falling ill won’t help us out all at. Besides, I think it’s time you took a rest and let me handle the backpack for once!” Diana continued her rambling, not stopping even as the brunette took a few sips of water before pouring a small amount onto a strip of cloth and tying it around her forehead.  


“Don’t worry your pretty little head over it. It’s just that I can’t take you seriously whenever you’re _floating_. Imagine a small baby trying to scold a much larger adult- I’m not saying you’re a child, but that’s what I imagine whenever you start floating,”  


Diana opened her mouth to start a retort but closed it when nothing came out. Wordlessly, she sank down to the ground and stared at Seria for a brief moment. Then, she started to walk on ahead without even sparing a glance back to see if the brunette was following her. The smile melted off of Seria’s face as she realized that Diana was mad at her. _Again._ She cursed as she packed, shoving the water canister back into the backpack and slinging it onto her shoulders. She wrestled with the straps before giving up and bolting after Diana before the greenette got too far and completely left her in the dust.  


The Goddess didn’t walk too far but she didn’t slow her pace- even when Seria caught up to her in a slight jog. She kept her eyes trained forward all the while, as if there wasn’t a half jogging, half walking Chinese woman trying to regain her attention. Seria huffed out a short sigh out of her nose and matched her partner’s pacing. It didn’t take long for her to piece together the puzzle- this was to be a completely silent walk until Diana worked off her anger.  


A little silence never hurt anyone. All the best ambushes in history were planned in silence, and it was silence that saved one of the Agni Summoner Brigades from being ambushed themselves. And so, they walked in silence.  


~  


The sun started to retreat back into its cave and neither Seria nor Diana had uttered a word to each other since the formers’ little slip-up. The only sign of their companionship was the shared canister of water, now emptied, but passed back and forth between them when the sun was at its pinnacle.  


They had been walking west for hours now. The star that burnt them from above worked its way down and scorched their eyes as it shined in front of them. Thankfully, the blazing yellow-white was replaced by a soothing red-orange. It was nice- the colours reminded Seria of her mother’s eyes. Before her father had left for war, they were always filled with a mischievous sparkle that promised lots of horrible jokes and childish embarrassment quotas.  


After Seria’s father was drafted, it wasn’t long before that sparkle started to diminish. The puns and the jokes ceased little by little, and she wasn’t keen on embarassing her daughter in public anymore. Even the most flavourful Jasmine tea became tasteless to her. Seria didn’t realize how much she missed that part of her mom until it was almost gone. When Seria herself instated within the Summoner’s Hall in Randall, her mother said nothing but embraced her in a tight hug.  


When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes that threatened to spill out; but there was something that lingered behind those salty droplets. It was pride- she couldn't hold back her tears any longer. Fat droplets cascaded down her cheeks and fell to the floor; her beloved daughter achieved her lifelong dream and was standing before her in full apparel.  


The sparkle soon returned, and the homecoming of Seria’s father only intensified the healing. Now with permission from the Grand Summoners, Seria’s parents were able to move from their village to the urban area of Randall. They popped in from time to time and talk with friends they haven’t seen in so long, and mother dearest always makes certain to embarrass her daughter in front of anything or anyone that’s watching.  


No matter what, Seria swore to never let the spark fade from her mother’s eyes- even if that meant pubic humiliation for eons to come. It was worth it.  


~  


The sky was littered with thousands of tiny stars, their light not at all overshadowed by the larger moon. Diana gave a contented sigh- floating was fun, but it took some concentration of her part to keep herself up. It felt nice to be grounded once in awhile. The Goddess looked curiously at her taller companion who was lost in thought with a small grin on her face. She looked happy, unburdened, free of all stress. It was a nice change of pace- just pretending that all was right with the world.  


Diana sombered up quickly, erasing that train of thought from her mind. She sent another glance at Seria and noticed that the grin that grew on her face was long gone. Instead, her brows were furrowed and her auburn eyes looked straight ahead. It was obvious that she wasn’t in dreamland anymore.  


The Goddess frowned at Seria’s unknown irritation and continued to walk in silence.  


~  


Seria blinked. Even as Diana walked besides her, the suffocating silence was overbearing. She breathed in, and breathed out. She raised her eyes to the luminescent moon above them, taking in the pearly white of its surface. On nights like these, Seria could appreciate the moon’s lasting beauty as it remained mostly untouched by mankind. On their own accord, the brunette’s eyes drifted to her green haired partner.  


Under the light of the full moon, Diana’s facial features were accentuated- her already high cheekbones made more prominent and her tinted eyes reflected with gleam.  


Breath in, breath back out.  


In this dimension, if you could even call it that, Seria admitted to herself that every action that Diana took spurred her on. Motivated her. Back in Grand Gaia, she’d treated Tilith like a nuisance, an annoying mosquito that she really wanted to slap away. Blinking, she frowned to herself. If it were Diana in Tilith’s shoes, would she have the same reaction? More importantly, if it were Tilith in Diana’s place right now, would she still be mulling over this constant dilemma?  


Seria’s frown worsened and she drew out a short huff of air. She turned her head the slightest of a fraction and studied her companion again. High cheekbones, unblemished porcelain skin, flowing locks of hair barely restrained in place by her headpiece. They were mirror images of each other, she noted.  


However, as she traveled onwards with Karl, Lugina, and occasionally Paris, and as she gradually spent more and more time with the Goddess, Seria looked back and saw that there was a tiny glimmer of affection burrowed deep under all that denial. It was miniscule, but it was there, and no matter how hard she may have wished it away, the truth was revealed to her as she walked down a dirty, moonlight illuminated road. She _cared_ about Tilith, and very much so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
